Thread: Prices for a lawn...horrible!

I went todo an estimate today for an average sized yard, gave her an estimate of $35.00 per week. Do you know what she told me, " well my neighbor only pays $15.00 per week!!!!!! that is crazy, she said to mow once with the price I gave her and if she dident like the quality she told me to lower the price or she will get someone else............should i take it and lower the price, or keep on walkin?

More and more, I believe people lie and make up stories about "what the other guy charges" Stick to your price and consider yourself lucky that you don't have to work for these people if you don't want to.

I agree. I am starting to believe people will try to say anything to bring down your price. So and so offered to cut it for $10 less.
I would leave your written estimate with her, to show you are professional, and not out bargain shopping for customers.
If she signs on for your price, you lost nothing. If you lower your price, you have just started a viscous cycle with her, as she'll try it on everything you try and upsell her!

Dont walk away, RUN AWAY. Never lower your price. Hand them the estimate and politely tell them to have a nice day. I got one of these lowballers really screwing me and other LCOs in my area right now. $10 a lawn. I gave 4 estimates yesterday and 2 of them had already been had by this scrub. One was an estimate for an $18 lawn, 15 minutes tops. I have an estimate already for $10. I said maam, who is this company? They never tell. Either this company doesnt exist and they just made it up to get a lower price or they are just not devuldging the name to protect this company or something.

I agree. Otherwise you are letting them know that your time has little or no value and they will use every opportunity to take advantage of you.

__________________Congressman: There is no just cause for an invasion of Iraq.Peter: Well that may be, but what we're all forgetting is anyone that doesn't want to go to war is gay.Congressman: I want to go to war.Congressman: I want to go to war.All of Congress: I want to go to war.Dick Cheney: I was the first one who wanted to go to war.

Several ways to differentiate your company from these others are:
-commercial insurance
-workers compensation insurance
-uniformed crew
-appropriate licenses
-professional equipment
-references
-skill set of you and your employees
Whenever I get a price shopper, which isn't often anymore, I trot out these differences.
Doesn't take a lot of time.
I will not adjust my pricing structure despite what a potential customer has been quoted by "another company".
I will not waste my time trying to convince a potential customer of the merits of being protected by a company that has the licenses and insurances subject to criminal and civil remedies. I mention all of this once, takes all of two minutes and if they balk-I'm gone.
Right now I am backed up to the end of June with new work not to mention routine contract maintenance.
Stick to your price structure-as long as you can back up what you say.
The danger a start up or low volume company faces is adjusting prices down in an idea of getting started. That is a dangerous precedent as once people start comparing costs, and they do - how are you going to raise prices to what your costs actually are?
The answer is you realistically can't while maintaining your existing client base.
So - stick to your price structure and build your business accordingly.

I agree. Otherwise you are letting them know that your time has little or no value and they will use every opportunity to take advantage of you.

Ask her if when she goes food shopping, does she TELL the store HOW MUCH she is going to pay for her food. How about her mortgage, her electric bill. Stick to your estimate. It won't be long...she is gone...and has been replaced with someone else. You will be much happier, then.